The 1997 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 116th season of the franchise; the 111th in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

. This was their 28th season at

Three Rivers Stadium Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Buil ...

. The Pirates finished second in the

National League Central The National League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the National League West (the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros) and three teams from the National League ...

with a record of 79–83.

Offseason

* November 14, 1996:

Dan Plesac Daniel Thomas Plesac (born February 4, 1962) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher with an 18-year career from 1986 to 2003. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, and ...

, Carlos García and

Orlando Merced Orlando Luis Merced Villanueva (born November 2, 1966) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played all or parts of 13 seasons in the majors for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1990–1996), Toronto Blue Jays (1997), Minnesota ...

were traded by the Pirates to the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

for José Silva, Brandon Cromer (minors), Jose Pett (minors), and players to be named later. The Blue Jays completed the deal by sending Abraham Núñez, Craig Wilson, and Mike Halperin (minors) to the Pirates on December 11. * December 13, 1996:

Jay Bell Jay Stuart Bell (born December 11, 1965) is an American former Major League Baseball shortstop and former manager of the Rocket City Trash Pandas of the Southern League. He played for the Cleveland Indians (1986–88), Pittsburgh Pirates (1989� ...

and Jeff King were traded by the Pirates to the Kansas City Royals for Jeff Granger,

Joe Randa Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

, Jeff Wallace, and Jeff Martin (minors). * December 20, 1996:

Kevin Elster Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicized from , an ...

was signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

New stadium referendum

Perhaps the most interesting headline of the Pirates' 1997 season didn't occur on the field. In 1997 voters in Pittsburgh's Allegheny County and 10 surrounding counties were presented with a referendum, known as the

Regional Renaissance Initiative In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

, to raise their county sales tax by 1/2% for seven years to fund, among other things, new stadiums for the Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers. Both teams were playing in

, which at the time was considered by many to be obsolete. The unexpected pennant drive provided a backdrop for the question as it was debated throughout the summer, given the concern that the Pirates might leave the city if a new stadium wasn't procured. The referendum failed badly in all 11 counties. Only in Allegheny County was it close (58-42), while being rejected by 2-1 to 3-1 margins in other counties. The next year what became known as "Plan B" was pursued by local and state government officials which called again for two new stadiums as well as an expansion of the

David L. Lawrence Convention Center The David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLLCC) is a convention, conference and exhibition building in downtown Pittsburgh in the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is served by two exits on Interstate 579. The initial David L. Lawrence ...

. The new plan was eventually passed, this time without a referendum and despite polls showing the public was against this as well, resulting in the construction of

PNC Park PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 MLB season, after the controlled implosion of the Pira ...

and

Heinz Field Acrisure Stadium is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Panth ...

, where both teams would start playing in 2001.

Regular season

The 1997 Pittsburgh Pirates were informally known as "The Freak Show," as the team of rookies and cheap veterans (the team only had a $9 million payroll) unexpectedly competed with the Houston Astros for the division title until the final week of the season.

Season standings

Game log

, - style="background:#cfc;" , 1 , , April 1 , , @

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) *Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...

, , 5–2 , , Ruebel (1–0) , , Rodriguez , , Ericks (1) , , 41,996 , , 1–0 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2 , , April 3 , , @

, , 5–7 , , Fernandez , , Cooke (0–1) , , Beck , , 8,099 , , 1–1 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 3 , , April 4 , , @

Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

, , 3–5 , , Candiotti , , Wainhouse (0–1) , , Worrell , , 37,284 , , 1–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 4 , , April 5 , , @

, , 3–1 , , Cordova (1–0) , , Park , , Ericks (2) , , 41,099 , , 2–2 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 5 , , April 6 , , @

, , 3–6 , , Dreifort , , Rincon (0–1) , , Worrell , , 37,493 , , 2–3 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 6 , , April 7 , , @

Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL pennan ...

, , 2–3 (10) , , Veras , , Ruebel (1–1) , , — , , 29,895 , , 2–4 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 7 , , April 8 , , @

, , 2–0 , , Cooke (1–1) , , Bergman , , Ericks (3) , , 14,278 , , 3–4 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 8 , , April 9 , , @

, , 4–2 , , Loaiza (1–0) , , Worrell , , Ericks (4) , , 24,735 , , 4–4 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 9 , , April 11 , ,

, , 1–7 , , Martinez , , Cordova (1–1) , , — , , 43,126 , , 4–5 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 10 , , April 13 , ,

, , 5–14 , , Nomo , , Schmidt (0–1) , , — , , 14,885 , , 4–6 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 11 , , April 15 , ,

, , 3–2 , , Ericks (1–0) , , Ashby , , — , , 6,851 , , 5–6 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 12 , , April 16 , ,

, , 5–7 , , Valenzuela , , Cooke (1–2) , , Hoffman , , 6,777 , , 5–7 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 13 , , April 17 , ,

Reds Reds may refer to: General * Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism * Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists during the January Uprising in 1863 * USSR (or, to a lesser extent, China) during th ...

, , 3–2 , , Loaiza (2–0) , , Morgan , , Ericks (5) , , 6,039 , , 6–7 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 14 , , April 18 , ,

, , 1–6 , , Burba , , Cordova (1–2) , , — , , 9,082 , , 6–8 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 15 , , April 19 , ,

, , 6–5 , , Rincon (1–1) , , Remlinger , , — , , 11,457 , , 7–8 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 16 , , April 20 , ,

, , 5–3 , , Lieber (1–0) , , Mercker , , Ericks (6) , , 14,542 , , 8–8 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 17 , , April 21 , ,

Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

, , 2–10 , , Schilling , , Cooke (1–3) , , — , , 9,015 , , 8–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 18 , , April 23 , ,

, , 3–2 , , Rincon (2–1) , , Spradlin , , — , , 8,850 , , 9–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 19 , , April 24 , , @ Cubs , , 4–3 , , Loiselle (1–0) , , Rojas , , — , , 21,787 , , 10–9 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 20 , , April 25 , , @ Cubs , , 1–11 , , Foster , , Lieber (1–1) , , — , , 18,333 , , 10–10 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 21 , , April 26 , , @ Cubs , , 6–7 , , Patterson , , Rincon (2–2) , , Rojas , , 29,323 , , 10–11 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 22 , , April 27 , , @ Cubs , , 7–0 , , Schmidt (1–1) , , Telemaco , , — , , 21,083 , , 11–11 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 23 , , April 28 , , @

, , 9–4 (12) , , Wilkins (1–0) , , Mimbs , , — , , 12,017 , , 12–11 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 24 , , April 29 , , @

, , 2–8 , , Maduro , , Ruebel (1–2) , , — , , 12,453 , , 12–12 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 25 , , April 30 , ,

, , 1–6 , , Gardner , , Lieber (1–2) , , — , , 10,073 , , 12–13 , - , - style="background:#cfc;" , 26 , , May 1 , ,

, , 3–2 , , Cooke (2–3) , , Estes , , Rincon (1) , , 10,507 , , 13–13 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 27 , , May 2 , , @ Braves , , 3–2 , , Peters (1–0) , , Bielecki , , Loiselle (1) , , 37,577 , , 14–13 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 28 , , May 3 , , @ Braves , , 3–0 , , Loaiza (3–0) , , Glavine , , Rincon (2) , , 46,602 , , 15–13 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 29 , , May 4 , , @ Braves , , 1–3 , , Wade , , Cordova (1–3) , , Wohlers , , 42,037 , , 15–14 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 30 , , May 5 , , @ Marlins , , 0–3 , , Helling , , Lieber (1–3) , , Nen , , 16,616 , , 15–15 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 31 , , May 6 , , @ Marlins , , 4–0 , , Cooke (3–3) , , Fernandez , , — , , 18,063 , , 16–15 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 32 , , May 7 , , @

Rockies The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

, , 14–3 , , Wilkins (2–0) , , Thompson , , — , , 48,056 , , 17–15 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 33 , , May 8 , , @

, , 10–8 , , Loaiza (4–0) , , Wright , , Loiselle (2) , , 48,050 , , 18–15 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 34 , , May 9 , , Braves , , 9–0 , , Cordova (2–3) , , Wade , , — , , 18,006 , , 19–15 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 35 , , May 10 , , Braves , , 3–9 , , Neagle , , Lieber (1–4) , , — , , 34,143 , , 19–16 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 36 , , May 11 , , Braves , , 2–8 , , Smoltz , , Cooke (3–4) , , — , , 29,895 , , 19–17 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 37 , , May 12 , , Braves , , 2–10 , , Maddux , , Schmidt (1–2) , , — , , 12,114 , , 19–18 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 38 , , May 14 , ,

, , 15–10 , , Wilkins (3–0) , , Reed , , — , , 11,841 , , 20–18 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 39 , , May 15 , ,

, , 4–3 , , Cordova (3–3) , , Bailey , , Rincon (3) , , 8,548 , , 21–18 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 40 , , May 16 , , Marlins , , 1–3 , , Fernandez , , Lieber (1–5) , , Nen , , 17,156 , , 21–19 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 41 , , May 17 , , Marlins , , 1–11 , , Rapp , , Cooke (3–5) , , — , , 32,066 , , 21–20 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 42 , , May 18 , , Marlins , , 3–5 (10) , , Nen , , Loiselle (1–1) , , Stanifer , , 28,702 , , 21–21 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 43 , , May 20 , , @

Cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

, , 1–3 , , Jackson , , Loaiza (4–1) , , Eckersley , , 25,990 , , 21–22 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 44 , , May 21 , , @

, , 3–2 , , Ruebel (2–2) , , Fossas , , Loiselle (3) , , 34,738 , , 22–22 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 45 , , May 22 , , @

Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

, , 9–3 , , Lieber (2–5) , , Perez , , Rincon (4) , , 12,620 , , 23–22 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 46 , , May 23 , , @

, , 1–4 , , Martinez , , Cooke (3–6) , , — , , 18,499 , , 23–23 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 47 , , May 24 , , @

, , 3–7 , , Juden , , Schmidt (1–3) , , Urbina , , 26,154 , , 23–24 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 48 , , May 25 , , @

, , 8–6 , , Wilkins (4–0) , , Daal , , Loiselle (4) , , 27,253 , , 24–24 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 49 , , May 26 , , Cubs , , 1–2 , , Foster , , Cordova (3–4) , , Adams , , 20,609 , , 24–25 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 50 , , May 27 , , Cubs , , 7–8 , , Gonzalez , , Lieber (2–6) , , Adams , , 9,641 , , 24–26 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 51 , , May 28 , , Cubs , , 4–1 , , Cooke (4–6) , , Mulholland , , — , , 10,198 , , 25–26 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 52 , , May 30 , ,

, , 10–2 , , Peters (2–0) , , Juden , , — , , 14,676 , , 26–26 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 53 , , May 31 , ,

, , 2–4 , , Hermanson , , Loaiza (4–2) , , Urbina , , 14,628 , , 26–27 , - , - style="background:#cfc;" , 54 , , June 1 , ,

, , 11–2 , , Cordova (4–4) , , Bullinger , , — , , 25,752 , , 27–27 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 55 , , June 2 , , @ Cubs , , 2–3 , , Mulholland , , Lieber (2–7) , , Adams , , 21,773 , , 27–28 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 56 , , June 3 , , @ Cubs , , 3–1 , , Cooke (5–6) , , Trachsel , , Loiselle (5) , , 17,317 , , 28–28 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 57 , , June 4 , ,

, , 0–10 , , Benes , , Schmidt (1–4) , , — , , 19,181 , , 28–29 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 58 , , June 5 , ,

, , 9–3 , , Loaiza (5–2) , , Stottlemyre , , — , , 11,382 , , 29–29 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 59 , , June 6 , ,

, , 5–4 (10) , , Wilkins (5–0) , , Spradlin , , — , , 15,165 , , 30–29 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 60 , , June 7 , ,

, , 9–2 , , Lieber (3–7) , , Nye , , — , , 25,664 , , 31–29 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 61 , , June 8 , ,

, , 2–3 , , Schilling , , Cooke (5–7) , , Bottalico , , 30,667 , , 31–30 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 62 , , June 10 , , @

, , 5–8 , , Remlinger , , Rincon (2–3) , , Shaw , , 18,556 , , 31–31 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 63 , , June 11 , , @

, , 1–2 , , Tomko , , Loaiza (5–3) , , Shaw , , 20,854 , , 31–32 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 64 , , June 13 , , Royals , , 5–3 , , Cordova (5–4) , , Williams , , Loiselle (6) , , 33,253 , , 32–32 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 65 , , June 14 , , Royals , , 3–8 , , Belcher , , Lieber (3–8) , , Montgomery , , 39,509 , , 32–33 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 66 , , June 15 , , Royals , , 1–8 , , Appier , , Cooke (5–8) , , — , , 35,774 , , 32–34 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 67 , , June 16 , , @

Twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

, , 8–6 , , Schmidt (2–4) , , Aldred , , Loiselle (7) , , 16,007 , , 33–34 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 68 , , June 17 , , @

, , 1–13 , , Hawkins , , Loaiza (5–4) , , — , , 14,894 , , 33–35 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 69 , , June 18 , , @

, , 2–8 , , Radke , , Cordova (5–5) , , — , , 15,688 , , 33–36 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 70 , , June 19 , , @

Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

, , 6–7 , , Franco , , Rincon (2–4) , , — , , 15,492 , , 33–37 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 71 , , June 20 , , @

, , 0–1 , , Jones , , Cooke (5–9) , , Franco , , 18,737 , , 33–38 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 72 , , June 21 , , @

, , 2–3 , , Mlicki , , Wilkins (5–1) , , McMichael , , 32,908 , , 33–39 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 73 , , June 22 , , @

, , 9–12 (10) , , Kashiwada , , Peters (2–1) , , — , , 23,247 , , 33–40 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 74 , , June 23 , , @

Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

, , 6–0 , , Cordova (6–5) , , Garcia , , — , , 16,738 , , 34–40 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 75 , , June 24 , , @

, , 8–3 , , Lieber (4–8) , , Wall , , — , , 17,972 , , 35–40 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 76 , , June 25 , , @

, , 1–5 , , Kile , , Sodowsky (0–1) , , — , , 26,954 , , 35–41 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 77 , , June 27 , ,

, , 6–1 , , Schmidt (3–4) , , Mlicki , , — , , 18,103 , , 36–41 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 78 , , June 28 , ,

, , 3–8 , , Reynoso , , Loaiza (5–5) , , — , , 23,711 , , 36–42 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 79 , , June 29 , ,

, , 8–10 , , Jordan , , Peters (2–2) , , Franco , , 26,499 , , 36–43 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 80 , , June 30 , ,

White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

, , 3–1 , , Lieber (5–8) , , Darwin , , — , , 28,070 , , 37–43 , - , - style="background:#cfc;" , 81 , , July 1 , ,

, , 3–0 , , Cooke (6–9) , , Baldwin , , Loiselle (8) , , 22,163 , , 38–43 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 82 , , July 2 , ,

, , 3–1 , , Schmidt (4–4) , , Navarro , , — , , 25,772 , , 39–43 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 83 , , July 3 , , @

, , 6–4 , , Loaiza (6–5) , , Valenzuela , , Loiselle (9) , , 30,753 , , 40–43 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 84 , , July 4 , , @

, , 7–5 (10) , , Wilkins (6–1) , , Eckersley , , Loiselle (10) , , 33,885 , , 41–43 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 85 , , July 5 , , @

, , 4–3 , , Lieber (6–8) , , Morris , , Wilkins (1) , , 39,593 , , 42–43 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 86 , , July 6 , , @

, , 6–3 , , Cooke (7–9) , , Stottlemyre , , — , , 29,290 , , 43–43 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 87 , , July 10 , ,

, , 0–7 , , Kile , , Schmidt (4–5) , , — , , 17,335 , , 43–44 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 88 , , July 11 , ,

, , 0–10 , , Hampton , , Loaiza (6–6) , , — , , 21,913 , , 43–45 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 89 , , July 12 , ,

, , 3–0 (10) , , Rincon (3–4) , , Hudek , , — , , 44,119 , , 44–45 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 90 , , July 13 , ,

, , 5–3 , , Sodowsky (1–1) , , Springer , , Loiselle (11) , , 25,675 , , 45–45 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 91 , , July 14 , ,

, , 5–4 , , Rincon (4–4) , , McMichael , , Loiselle (12) , , 12,794 , , 46–45 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 92 , , July 15 , ,

, , 4–3 , , Christiansen (1–0) , , Acevedo , , Loiselle (13) , , 12,244 , , 47–45 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 93 , , July 16 , ,

, , 3–7 , , Burba , , Loaiza (6–7) , , — , , 30,698 , , 47–46 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 94 , , July 17 , ,

, , 5–9 , , Smiley , , Cordova (6–6) , , — , , 19,710 , , 47–47 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 95 , , July 18 , , @

, , 6–8 , , Leiter , , Lieber (6–9) , , Bottalico , , 19,676 , , 47–48 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 96 , , July 19 , , @

, , 13–3 , , Cooke (8–9) , , Green , , — , , 17,472 , , 48–48 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 97 , , July 20 , , @

, , 1–4 , , Stephenson , , Schmidt (4–6) , , Bottalico , , 20,431 , , 48–49 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 98 , , July 21 , , @

, , 3–2 , , Loaiza (7–7) , , Schilling , , Loiselle (14) , , 19,303 , , 49–49 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 99 , , July 22 , , @

, , 2–3 , , Hoffman , , Loiselle (1–2) , , — , , 18,306 , , 49–50 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 100 , , July 23 , , @

, , 1–9 , , Smith , , Lieber (6–10) , , — , , 16,151 , , 49–51 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 101 , , July 24 , , @

, , 6–8 , , Bruske , , Sodowsky (1–2) , , Hoffman , , 18,715 , , 49–52 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 102 , , July 25 , , @

, , 5–2 , , Schmidt (5–6) , , Rueter , , Loiselle (15) , , 14,236 , , 50–52 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 103 , , July 26 , , @

, , 10–3 , , Loaiza (8–7) , , Creek , , — , , 25,962 , , 51–52 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 104 , , July 27 , , @

, , 5–6 (13) , , Henry , , Wilkins (6–2) , , — , , 0 , , 51–53 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 105 , , July 27 , , @

, , 10–7 , , Cordova (7–6) , , VanLandingham , , — , , 38,866 , , 52–53 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 106 , , July 28 , , @

, , 2–4 , , Valdez , , Lieber (6–11) , , Worrell , , 53,503 , , 52–54 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 107 , , July 29 , , @

, , 1–3 , , Astacio , , Cooke (8–10) , , Worrell , , 43,791 , , 52–55 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 108 , , July 31 , ,

, , 4–1 , , Schmidt (6–6) , , Bailey , , Loiselle (16) , , 16,654 , , 53–55 , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 109 , , August 1 , ,

, , 6–7 , , Reed , , Rincon (4–5) , , Dipoto , , 22,657 , , 53–56 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 110 , , August 2 , ,

, , 6–5 , , Cordova (8–6) , , Swift , , Loiselle (17) , , 32,388 , , 54–56 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 111 , , August 3 , ,

, , 8–4 , , Ruebel (3–2) , , Reed , , — , , 24,989 , , 55–56 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 112 , , August 4 , , Braves , , 0–6 , , Smoltz , , Cooke (8–11) , , — , , 21,609 , , 55–57 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 113 , , August 5 , , Braves , , 5–4 , , Schmidt (7–6) , , Glavine , , Loiselle (18) , , 20,069 , , 56–57 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 114 , , August 6 , , Marlins , , 3–12 , , Brown , , Loaiza (8–8) , , — , , 32,594 , , 56–58 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 115 , , August 7 , , Marlins , , 5–1 , , Wilkins (7–2) , , Leiter , , — , , 18,042 , , 57–58 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 116 , , August 8 , , @

, , 3–5 , , Wright , , Lieber (6–12) , , Dipoto , , 48,262 , , 57–59 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 117 , , August 9 , , @

, , 7–8 , , Munoz , , Rincon (4–6) , , — , , 48,323 , , 57–60 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 118 , , August 10 , , @

, , 7–8 , , Leskanic , , Wilkins (7–3) , , Dipoto , , 48,018 , , 57–61 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 119 , , August 12 , , @ Braves , , 5–2 , , Sodowsky (2–2) , , Wohlers , , Loiselle (19) , , 42,435 , , 58–61 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 120 , , August 13 , , @ Braves , , 2–1 , , Lieber (7–12) , , Smoltz , , Loiselle (20) , , 40,793 , , 59–61 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 121 , , August 15 , , @ Marlins , , 5–6 , , Powell , , Loiselle (1–3) , , — , , 26,092 , , 59–62 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 122 , , August 16 , , @ Marlins , , 10–5 , , Cordova (9–6) , , Saunders , , — , , 40,031 , , 60–62 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 123 , , August 17 , , @ Marlins , , 2–10 , , Brown , , Cooke (8–12) , , — , , 38,221 , , 60–63 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 124 , , August 18 , , @ Marlins , , 7–2 , , Loaiza (9–8) , , Alfonseca , , — , , 30,200 , , 61–63 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 125 , , August 19 , ,

, , 5–3 , , Lieber (8–12) , , Smith , , Loiselle (21) , , 12,411 , , 62–63 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 126 , , August 20 , ,

, , 7–3 , , Schmidt (8–6) , , Ashby , , — , , 10,222 , , 63–63 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 127 , , August 21 , ,

, , 4–9 , , Hitchcock , , Cordova (9–7) , , — , , 13,129 , , 63–64 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 128 , , August 22 , ,

, , 3–2 , , Cooke (9–12) , , Rueter , , Loiselle (22) , , 18,562 , , 64–64 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 129 , , August 23 , ,

, , 6–4 , , Loaiza (10–8) , , Darwin , , Loiselle (23) , , 42,502 , , 65–64 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 130 , , August 24 , ,

, , 9–6 , , Christiansen (2–0) , , Henry , , Wilkins (2) , , 33,363 , , 66–64 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 131 , , August 25 , ,

, , 2–8 , , Martinez , , Schmidt (8–7) , , Guthrie , , 0 , , 66–65 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 132 , , August 25 , ,

, , 4–3 , , Wilkins (8–3) , , Worrell , , — , , 14,018 , , 67–65 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 133 , , August 26 , ,

, , 4–6 , , Dreifort , , Rincon (4–7) , , — , , 13,689 , , 67–66 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 134 , , August 27 , ,

, , 5–9 , , Reyes , , Cooke (9–13) , , — , , 48,032 , , 67–67 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 135 , , August 29 , , @ Brewers , , 1–4 , , Karl , , Loaiza (10–9) , , Jones , , 17,539 , , 67–68 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 136 , , August 30 , , @ Brewers , , 3–1 , , Lieber (9–12) , , Mercedes , , Loiselle (24) , , 23,673 , , 68–68 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 137 , , August 31 , , @ Brewers , , 2–3 , , Jones , , Wilkins (8–4) , , — , , 32,541 , , 68–69 , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 138 , , September 1 , , Indians , , 5–7 , , Ogea , , Cooke (9–14) , , Mesa , , 45,298 , , 68–70 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 139 , , September 2 , , Indians , , 6–4 , , Silva (1–0) , , Wright , , Loiselle (25) , , 43,380 , , 69–70 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 140 , , September 3 , , Indians , , 3–7 , , Hershiser , , Loaiza (10–10) , , — , , 37,513 , , 69–71 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 141 , , September 4 , , @

, , 2–5 , , Morgan , , Lieber (9–13) , , Shaw , , 15,136 , , 69–72 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 142 , , September 5 , , @

, , 6–8 , , Sullivan , , Wilkins (8–5) , , Shaw , , 21,492 , , 69–73 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 143 , , September 6 , , @

, , 13–4 , , Cordova (10–7) , , Remlinger , , — , , 20,383 , , 70–73 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 144 , , September 7 , , @

, , 3–6 , , Burba , , Silva (1–1) , , Shaw , , 19,682 , , 70–74 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 145 , , September 9 , , @

, , 4–5 (10) , , Urbina , , Loiselle (1–4) , , — , , 8,782 , , 70–75 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 146 , , September 10 , , @

, , 4–5 , , Martinez , , Lieber (9–14) , , Urbina , , 10,139 , , 70–76 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 147 , , September 12 , , Cubs , , 3–1 , , Schmidt (9–7) , , Batista , , Loiselle (26) , , 13,833 , , 71–76 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 148 , , September 13 , , Cubs , , 1–4 , , Trachsel , , Cordova (10–8) , , Adams , , 21,505 , , 71–77 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 149 , , September 14 , , Cubs , , 2–3 , , Clark , , Rincon (4–8) , , Adams , , 20,120 , , 71–78 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 150 , , September 15 , ,

, , 5–4 (10) , , Wilkins (9–5) , , Telford , , — , , 7,736 , , 72–78 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 151 , , September 16 , ,

, , 8–2 , , Lieber (10–14) , , Johnson , , — , , 8,010 , , 73–78 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 152 , , September 17 , ,

, , 4–8 , , Reynolds , , Schmidt (9–8) , , — , , 27,422 , , 73–79 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 153 , , September 18 , ,

, , 12–3 , , Cordova (11–8) , , Kile , , — , , 14,852 , , 74–79 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 154 , , September 19 , ,

, , 5–6 (11) , , King , , Loiselle (1–5) , , Eckersley , , 16,235 , , 74–80 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 155 , , September 20 , ,

, , 10–1 , , Loaiza (11–10) , , Beltran , , — , , 21,053 , , 75–80 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 156 , , September 21 , ,

, , 14–2 , , Lieber (11–14) , , Busby , , — , , 26,247 , , 76–80 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 157 , , September 22 , ,

, , 3–1 , , Schmidt (10–8) , , Morris , , Loiselle (27) , , 17,919 , , 77–80 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 158 , , September 23 , , @

, , 5–4 , , Silva (2–1) , , Lidle , , Loiselle (28) , , 14,670 , , 78–80 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 159 , , September 24 , , @

, , 5–7 , , Crawford , , Cooke (9–15) , , Rojas , , 13,195 , , 78–81 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 160 , , September 26 , , @

, , 0–2 , , Garcia , , Loaiza (11–11) , , Wagner , , 37,850 , , 78–82 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 161 , , September 27 , , @

, , 1–8 , , Reynolds , , Schmidt (10–9) , , — , , 36,170 , , 78–83 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 162 , , September 28 , , @

, , 5–4 (11) , , Christiansen (3–0) , , Henriquez , , Loiselle (29) , , 30,606 , , 79–83 , - , - , ''Legend: = Win = Loss
Bold = Pirates team member''

Record vs. opponents

Detailed records

Roster

Opening Day lineup

Player stats

;Batting ''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in'' ;Pitching ''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Awards and honors

The Sporting News Executive of the Year Award The ''Sporting News'' Executive of the Year Award was established in and is given annually to one executive, including general managers, in Major League Baseball (MLB). The presenting company, originally known as ''The Sporting News'', has been ...

Cam Bonifay Cameron Hubert Bonifay (born February 12, 1952) is a former major league baseball executive and scout, best known as general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1993 to 2001. Career Bonifay's father was a minor league general manager for sever ...

, GM

1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 68th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July ...

Tony Womack Anthony Darrell Womack (born September 25, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player. He played all or parts of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), with most of his career spent with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Arizona Di ...

, 2B, Reserve

Notable transactions

* July 8, 1997:

Midre Cummings Midre Almeric Cummings (born October 14, 1971) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (-), Philadelphia Phillies (1997), Boston Red Sox ( and ), Minnesota Tw ...

was selected off waivers from the Pirates by the Philadelphia Phillies.Midre Cummings
at ''Baseball Reference''

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Lynchburg

References

1997 Pittsburgh Pirates
at ''Baseball Reference''
1997 Pittsburgh Pirates
at ''Baseball Almanac'' *